Babysitting Terror
by Songbird of Night
Summary: When 15 year old Melinda Gordon is hired as a babysitter for the Quay family, she discovers an angry spirit that is haunting their home. How can she help the ghost without exposing her gift to the children? Is there more to the family than meets the eye?
1. Opportunity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer! I only own my OCs, the Quay family (which is based upon my own aunt, uncle, and cousins, for whom I babysit!)**

**Enjoy the first chapter!**

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One warm summer afternoon in Grandview, New York, Melinda Gordon was sitting on her elegant, white bed, reading the latest issue of _Seventeen_ magazine. Her beautiful brown eyes were quite active as they moved from side to side along each sentence of an article. She was wearing a black tank top and a pair of jean shorts. Her long, curly brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail.

Though no one could tell, Melinda was not a normal person… She had a gift… Melinda could see and communicate with the spirits of the dead… Her mother, Beth, and grandmother, Mary Ann, could do the same. Beth ignored the ghosts if they ever came to her, which was the cause of her constant headaches. She also refused to allow her daughter to learn about the gift. Regardless, Mary Ann taught Melinda all about it and how special it was.

The clock on the night stand next to Melinda read 4:35. The sheer curtains in front of the open window flowed with the nice, cool breeze. Her black and white kitten, Ollie, was curled up in a little ball next to her. Beth was at work so the house was completely silent…right up until the phone rang downstairs…

Melinda sighed and set the magazine down upon hearing the distant ringing coming from the kitchen downstairs. She hopped off the bed carefully, as to not wake Ollie, and left the room. She walked down the hall and descended the carpeted stairs into the living room, which she crossed through and entered the kitchen.

The phone on the wall rang once again before Melinda picked it up and put it to her ear.

"Gordon residence," She spoke into it. "This is Melinda speaking."

"Hi, Melinda," replied a somewhat familiar and cheery voice, "This is your neighbor, Myrna Quay."

"Oh! Hi, Mrs. Myrna!" said Melinda, realizing who was speaking. Myrna Quay was a very pretty woman in her thirties. She was happily married to her husband, Matt, and had four children: Megan, Carmen, Ethan, and Colin. She and her family lived a few streets away from Melinda and Beth.

"How are you doing?" Melinda asked, leaning against the wall.

"I'm good, thank you," answered Mrs. Myrna, "I'm enjoying this summer so far. How about you?"

"Oh yes! I'm so glad school's out!" She absentmindedly started twiddling the phone's cord with her fingers.

"Oh, I know. My kids are ecstatic about it!" said Mrs. Myrna with a laugh. "So do you have any special summer plans this year?" Melinda thought for a moment as she continued to fiddle with the curled cord.

"No, not really," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to see if you would be interested in babysitting my kids for me and Matt whenever we go out. But I wasn't sure if you already a summer job or if you were going to a camp or something of that sort."

"That would be wonderful!" replied Melinda. "I would love to babysit for you!"

"Really? Do you think it will be alright with your mother? Is she home?"

"She's at work right now, but I will definitely talk to her when she gets home. Could I have your number so I can call you back then?" Melinda quickly strode over to counter where a notepad and pen sat. She wrote the numbers down as Mrs. Myrna relayed them.

"Alright!" said Melinda, setting the pen back down. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Myrna! I will be back with you later on tonight."

"Thanks, Melinda! Talk to you then!"

"Bye," Melinda hung up the phone and smiled to herself delightfully before heading back upstairs.

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Two hours later, Melinda's stomach had begun grumbling at her for food, so she went back down into the kitchen. She warmed up some leftover mashed potatoes, corn, and chicken before sitting down at the dining room table to eat. She was halfway finished when she heard Beth unlocking the side door. A second later, her mother came into the kitchen.

Beth was tall and thin with straight, short brown hair that came a little above her shoulders and matching eyes. The single mom was wearing an aqua blue t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and flip-flops. Her white purse was slung over her shoulder and her keys were clutched in her hand.

"Hey," Beth greeted her daughter as she set everything down on the counter. "What are you eating?"

"Corn, mashed potatoes, and chicken," Melinda replied through a mouthful of corn. Beth nodded approvingly before opening the fridge.

"There's some spaghetti in there from the other night if you want that," stated Melinda as she watched her mother.

"Yeah…" replied Beth, taking it out and shutting the fridge. She dumped the spaghetti onto a plate, set it in the microwave, and began reheating it.

"So what's up?" Beth asked her daughter a moment later. "What'd you do today?"

"Nothing really," shrugged Melinda. "I got a call from Mrs. Myrna a little while ago. She wants me to babysit for her whenever she and her husband go out."

"Oh really?" remarked Beth interestedly. "What did you say?"

"I told her I'd be happy to do so, seeing as I've got nothing to do this summer," replied Melinda, now poking at her food with her spoon. "But I wanted to run it by you first…"

"Well, I've got nothing wrong with that," said Beth. "It'll give you something to do every now and then and you'd be making some good money."

"Cool," Melinda smiled to herself just as the microwave began beeping, signaling that it had finished reheating Beth's spaghetti.

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After dinner, Melinda dialed the number Mrs. Myrna had given her and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" asked a young voice. Melinda guessed it was one of the children.

"Hi, this is Melinda Gordon. Is Mrs. Myrna available?"

"Yeah, she is. Hold on."

"Okay, thank you." Melinda waited patiently for Mrs. Myrna's voice to reach her ear.

"Melinda?"

"Hi, Mrs. Myrna! I talked to my mother and she said it was fine with her if I babysat for you."

"Awesome!" Her voice was filled with relief and delight. "Oh, that's great to hear! I already have a date for you to put down on your calendar!"

"Really?" Melinda asked excitedly. "Alright! When do you need me?"

"This Saturday at 7 PM," replied Mrs. Myrna. "Are you available then?"

"Of course!"

"Great! Matt will come and pick you up at 6:30 so that we can show you the house and get you settled in."

"Alright! I'll see you then!"

"Thanks, Melinda!"

"Bye!" She hung the phone back up and sighed elatedly. _This Saturday at 7 PM…_

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_**I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**_  
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	2. The Quay Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer: I only own my OCs, the Quay family!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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**Saturday finally arrived. It was nearly 6:30 and Melinda was sitting outside on the front porch, waiting patiently for an unfamiliar car to pull up in her driveway. She was wearing jean shorts, flip-flops, and a blue and gray striped dolman top over a black spaghetti strap shirt. Her curls fell down her back, but she had elastic bands around her wrist in case she decided to pull it up into a ponytail. She also had a messenger bag that contained her babysitter's guide book and her emergency cell phone.

Finally, a red Nissan truck drove up and stopped in the driveway. Melinda automatically rose from her seat, descended the steps, and walked down the pathway towards the car. As she neared, she recognized the driver as Matt Quay. They smiled and waved at one another before Melinda opened the passenger door and got in the car.

"Hi, Melinda!" Mr. Matt greeted her cheerfully.

"Hi, Mr. Matt!" she replied. He had blue eyes, combed brown hair, and a short beard. He was average in height and well-built for a man nearing his forties. He was wearing a polo shirt, nice jeans, and shoes.

"How are you doing?" Melinda asked him as he put the car in reverse and started out of the driveway.

"I'm good! How about you?" he replied.

"I'm good and ready for tonight!" answered Melinda with a smile.

"Myrna and I haven't gone out in forever, so the kids are really excited that they're going to have a new sitter," stated Mr. Matt as he drove down the road.

"Aw!" giggled Melinda. They took a right turn and continued down the road until they reached the Quays' driveway. A white mailbox stood to the left of it and was surrounded by colorful little flowers. A couple of trees were spread out among the front yard. There was a white minivan that sat in front of the garage at the end of the driveway.

"Oh, look at them," Mr. Matt quickly pointed at the big front window as they drove up the driveway.

"Aw!" Melinda smiled at the sight of four blonde children of all different heights watching excitedly through the window. Mr. Matt parked next to the minivan. Melinda noticed a wagon and quite a few bikes and scooters were all scattered around in the grass on the left side of the minivan. They got out of the truck and started towards the side door.

"Thanks," said Melinda appreciatively when Mr. Matt opened the door for her. She stepped into the lovely kitchen and observed her surroundings. A pantry closet and fridge stood to her left. The sink, oven, cabinets, and stone topped counters aligned the wall to her right. There was a window above the sink that was adorned with many trinkets and flowers. A table with six chairs surrounding it stood before the large front window. The children were all standing near it together in a shy manner. Each of them was bathed and wearing pajamas.

"Hey guys!" Melinda smiled at them kindly.

"Hi!" they all replied in quite voices. Just then, a black Labrador came into the room and barked elatedly as he rushed up to her.

"Hi there!" exclaimed Melinda, holding her hand out to the dog so that he could get her scent. After a moment, he licked it and allowed Melinda to scratch him behind her ears.

"Guys," Mr. Matt addressed the kids, "This is Melinda," Melinda smiled at the sound of her name and gave them a little wave. "We hired her to sit on all of you while your mom and I are off eating dinner and such!" Melinda and the kids giggled just as Mrs. Myrna entered the kitchen.

"That's right!" she chimed in humorously, "Melinda's not going to let you move a muscle until we get back!" Mrs. Myrna was a very pretty woman in her thirties. She had bright blue eyes, a perfect, stunning smile, and straight blonde hair that curved towards her lovely face. She was wearing a silky silver shirt, black dress pants, and shiny strapped heels. Her natural looking makeup complimented the outfit very well.

Mrs. Myrna then approached Melinda with her arms outstretched while Mr. Matt left the room, probably to get his wallet and such.

"How are you?" she asked her as they embraced.

"I'm good and ready for tonight!" replied Melinda.

"So am I! Matt and I haven't been out to eat in forever. I'm so glad you could make it tonight!"

"Me too, I can't wait to get started!"

"Oh, before we get to the details for tonight, can I ask you how much you charge?"

"$5 an hour."

"Alright, that's great! Some of the other girls we've had babysit before charged for an insane amount of money and they weren't very good with handling everything either!" Melinda continued to pet the black Labrador, who was now thumping his tail against the floor in contentment.

"Aw, he is loving you, Melinda!" Mrs. Myrna remarked upon noticing the dog's lively tail.

"What's his name?" Melinda asked with a smile.

"Magic," replied Mrs. Myrna. "At around 8 o' clock, he will need to be let out into the backyard for a little while so he can do his business, but otherwise, he can stay in the house."

"Alright," nodded Melinda.

"Oh, did Matt introduce you to the kids?" Mrs. Myrna asked her hastily.

"No, he didn't," She stood up and faced the four of them, who were still standing there bashfully.

"Okay, well Megan just turned ten in May and is the oldest," Megan was tall for her age and looked like a miniature of her mother with her short blonde hair and blue eyes, but her smile was rather crooked.

"Carmen is seven," She was a little shorter than Megan and still obtained some of her baby fat. She, too, was blonde, but she had bangs and it was wavy and fell past her shoulders. She also had blue eyes and crooked teeth.

"Ethan is five," Ethan looked a lot like his father, but had blonde hair and blue eyes like his mother. He smiled at the sound of his name, showing off a little gap in between his bottom teeth.

"And Collin is 3 and the youngest," Collin was the shortest out of all of them and looked like a good mix of both his parents. Like all the rest, he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He grinned at Melinda in a mischievous way and flashed his eyebrows at her. She was rather taken aback at such an action from a child of his age and gave him a little wave.

"8:30 is bedtime because we have church in the morning," Mrs. Myrna continued. "Until then, they can just play or watch a movie. And if they behave," she looked over the kids as she said this, "they can have popcorn with it!" The kids excitedly began to chatter amongst themselves about how they were going to be on their best behavior and what movie they wanted to watch.

"Before you put them to bed, let them pick up their toys and then they'll say their prayers. And make sure Collin and Ethan use the bathroom."

"Alright," nodded Melinda dutifully.

"Let me show you around the house. Behind us here is the computer room," she turned on the light to reveal a tiny room with a desk, computer, file cabinet, and calendars. "You're welcome to use the computer after the kids are in bed, but please use Megan's account."

"Okay, thanks," replied Melinda.

"This is the living room," Mrs. Myrna led her from the kitchen into a big, spacious room. In between a bookcase and the huge flat screen television, there was a large stone fireplace, adorned with pictures, candles, plants, and a clock. In front of the television were two black leather couches and a rocking chair. There was an antique chess table and chairs near the doorway leading to the front hall. An aged piano sat in the corner next to the French doors of the sunroom, which had been converted into an exercise room.

"Do you know how to use cable?" Mrs. Myrna asked Melinda as she gestured at the television.

"Yes, I do,"

"Okay, well you can watch whatever you want once the kids are in bed,"

"Alright, cool,"

"That's the exercise room and the door to the backyard is there." The walls of the room were only windows and the backdoor lead out to a large porch. There were many different types of exercise equipment and weights neatly organized in the room.

"Over there's our bedroom," Mrs. Myrna pointed to another room off of the living room. "While the kids are out and about, please keep the door shut so they can't get in. But after they're asleep, you can open it back up because Magic's bed is in there and he'll want to lay down it in."

"Alright,"

"Let me show you where the kids' rooms are," Mrs. Myrna led her back across the living room and into a larger, fancier dining room. A colorful candle chandelier hung above the table and a glass cupboard full of china dishes stood in the corner.

"You guys have a beautiful house, Mrs. Myrna," declared Melinda.

"Aw, thank you, Melinda!" replied Mrs. Myrna appreciatively. They entered the front hall where the front door was and a huge mirror hung on the wall. Under a wall of pictures, there was a vibrant fish tank with six little fish swimming around inside it. They stepped into the carpeted hallway.

"This is Carmen and Ethan's bedroom," she pointed into the bedroom to the right. There was a bunk bed, computer desk, dresser, two bookcases full of toys, and a television set.

"And this is Megan and Collin's bedroom," They walked down the hallway to another bedroom. Like Carmen and Ethan's, it also had a bunk bed, large dresser, two bookcases, and a television set. Oddly, Melinda noticed the carpet was a shade lighter than that of the hallways.

"The bathroom's in here," It was a trendy bathroom with turquoise walls and a brown shower curtain and rug.

"Here's laundry room," Mrs. Myrna slid the door open to reveal the two laundry machines and very organized shelves of cleaning supplies.

"And that's the house!" she concluded cheerfully.

"It's wonderful!" smiled Melinda. "Thank you for the tour!"

"You're very welcome," replied Mrs. Myrna, "Oh, hold on, I'll show you a list of emergency numbers we have." They went back into the kitchen and Mrs. Myrna opened the cabinet door on the left of the sink to reveal a list taped to the inside.

"Here are me and Matt's cell phone numbers," she pointed them out. "The rest of them are family and friends, and I know you know this, but if it's an emergency, call 911."

"Of course," nodded Melinda.

"The phone's right there," Mrs. Myrna gestured at the cordless phone on counter, "and the first aid kit is in here." She opened the cabinet on the other side of the sink and showed her the box.

"Well, I think that's everything!" she then concluded as Mr. Matt entered the kitchen.

"You ready, Myrn'?" he asked his wife.

"Yep, I just finished giving Melinda the grand tour," she replied gleefully.

"Kids!" Mr. Matt called. "We're not leaving without hugs and kisses!" The children immediately rushed into the room and took turns as they bid them goodnight with their hugs and kisses.

"Remember to be on your best behavior and listen to Melinda," Mrs. Myrna reminded them as she and Mr. Matt walked out the door.

"Okay!" they replied in chorus. After they shut the door behind them, Melinda walked forward and locked it securely. Then she turned around to face the kids, but noticed another standing motionless by the table.

It was a tall girl of either twelve or thirteen. She looked very similar to the other children with her striking blue eyes and blonde hair, but it was straight and much longer. Her skin was unnaturally pale and the area all around her eyes was dark. The girl was wearing a white, outdated nightgown.

"Um, hello, who are you, sweetie?" Melinda asked the girl, rather taken aback by her appearance. The girl glared wickedly at Melinda and then disappeared right before her eyes. A chill surged up Melinda's spine and she gasped in horror.

She had just seen a ghost…an infuriated one, at that…and she was all alone with four young children…

"Oh no…" she whispered in dread.

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**Melinda is in for a rough night, but will she make it through? Find out in the next chapter!**

**I have posted a little picture of the ghost child on my profile. Check it out under the category _Babysitting Terror_!  
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**I hope you like my OCs and enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


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